DOES NINJUTSU SUCK!??? - The answer may shock you - expert analysis

[@DarrenMcillorum]

Any grown adult who loved martial arts as a kid secretly wants to be a ninja.

[@inside_fighting]

That desire will never leave us.

[@Leifler]

Idk, we did all want it, but, the interest and realization in Western historical warriors has maybe shifted it a little.

[@katokianimation]

Probably 80% of bjj practitioners were got into it in the first place because they heard that in bjj you are rolling in black martial art suit and do joint locks.

[@shadown5757]

For sure 😎🤙

[@norrisjohnson6032]

nope. Sworssman but ninja

[@AnthonyLauder]

About 20 years ago, I joined a Ninjutsu school, only because it was a 5 minute walk from where I was living. I was really impressed with the instructor who said all that movie stuff is BS, and we are going to teach you one skill here: to get behind the attacker. And that's pretty much all we did. And I have to admit that after a couple of months, my ability to get behind an attacker improved massively. There were no flying leaps, no climbing walls, no throwing stars. But, the instructor said "when you are behind the attacker you are effectively invisible to him". And I think he had a point.

[@MorteWulfe]

The ultimate fear too. A man too close behind ya. No wonder ninjas warranted such terror!

[@zakzac1]

So many things you can do to a man whilst behind him

[@thedarksideoftheforce6658]

That's what a lot of gay men do on a daily basis get behind and attack 👀👀👀👀👀😂😂😂. Shit you could have learned that from a master ninja at a gay bar lol.

[@NCXitlali]

@@MorteWulfe in real life, ninjas were just spies. They rarely fought

[@NCXitlali]

@@zakzac1 especially in prison lmaooooooo

[@TheNinjaEveryDay]

I run the 2nd tier group in your video and I appreciate the honesty in your assessment. Their are a lot of unskilled representations of ninjutsu out there but there are many highly skilled practitioners as well. I agree that more sparring needs to be utilized and the idol worship is a major problem. Yossi Sherrif and the Akban group are a major source of inspiration for me as well. Great video!

[@brian95240]

Yes! Akban is the real deal! You can easily witness the contrast when comparing Akban training with more sensationalized, familiar forms of Bujinkan. I would trust my life with Akban training vs the others.

[@TimByrd]

I trained combat karate in the Army, moved on to Tae Kwon Do and kickboxing, then trained ninjutsu with Bud Malmstrom (and occasionally with Steve Hayes and Jack Hoban, and one long weekend with Hatsumi). Later, unable to continue ninjutsu training because of location, I trained Aikido, and then later a bit of Cuong Nhu. Out of all that, the training that most benefitted me as a fighter (and, honestly, as a rounded human being) was the ninjutsu. I understand where you're coming from, and realize the impact of that one time you went to that one dojo, but my experience doesn't match your description at all. I'm sure, as with any style, there's some crappy teachers out there, and there are also "styles" out there calling themselves ninjutsu/jitsu and just practicing absurdity (I recall "Ashida Kim", a "master ninja", actually a red-headed karate teacher who took on an inexplicably Korean pseudonym). But there IS something great to be found in the style, and it ain't just adolescent cosplay and fantasy.

[@DouglasEKnappMSAOM]

I also trained With Bud in the 80s. And you are correct. Any teacher that could not through a beginner was not worthy of the title of teacher, and he should be able to do it even though the guy is stiff and resisting and he should be able to do it without hurting him! Bujinkan has surverd my in street fights. I have no regrets at all and ya there are WAY to many bad teacher out there. The REAL problem with Buj is that Hatsumi does not believe in policing his students. He is more of a go to war and let god sort them out sort of guy. While training with Bud, the teacher of the founder of Akban taught us. He's a great guy. I have not met is student that founded Akban but I think the video is wrong about Akban being a really different form of Bujinkan. It's mostly the same but with a modern stress testing philosophy behind it. They still learn all the old katas as can be seen by their HUGE collection of kata videos. What brings them up a step is using modern science to bring the kata's secrets out and battle test them.

[@sirseigan]

I can only agree with both of you.

[@ArchDragon888]

I wish I was as rich as you

[@Vintage-Bob]

@@DouglasEKnappMSAOM I also trained with Bud Malmstrom, Stephen Hayes, Roger Stebelton, Larry Turner, and when they came over, Soke Hatsumi, Shihan Nagato, etc. Back in the day, our group trained hard - working up to full speed and nearly full force (obviously we'd stop before pushing a dislocated shoulder or whatever). We sparred, we trained bare hands, we fought with boxers, karatekas, etc. If we didn't leave class with at least a bruise, bloody lip, or something hurting, we felt like we weren't training. I've used the training in real life combat against very well trained opponents and have never gotten hurt. But all that training was before it got watered down.

[@briancaparoula9607]

When I was a kid, of course I loved ninjas 🥷. Who didn’t! I trained in Shotokan karate, tang soo do, and some 5 animals kung fu. I had a friend who trained in ninjitsu. We hung out, and was sparring one day. No gear. Just kids lightly going at it. And he was the funnest opponent I ever faced sparring. NOTHING like the kids at tournaments and from my classes. It’s a real martial art. He got some shots in on me. Not that either of us was a pro. But anyways.. I wasn’t unimpressed with his competency to throw punches, kicks or use takedowns. He did them all. I think because of the lore and fantasy, everyone assumes ninjitsu is BS. Until you take a class, it’s just an opinion though. And I hope as an individual alive today, you aren’t letting other peoples opinions discourage you from doing something in life. Low key, I have been looking for a good ninjitsu class ever since I was a kid because of my old friend, but where I ended up moving, that stuff just doesn’t exist here. It is what it is. But id sign up in a heartbeat if I could

[@budo_world]

I'm so sorry that you had to go through that experience. More and more videos are coming out pointing out horrible practices that many people do on their dojos belonging to the Bujinkan. Many Bujinkan practitioners are aware of this, and we are not happy about it either. I've been a Bujinkan member since 1998. Actively teaching since 2008. I don't know on what web site you read that sparring is not allowed in our training. There is actually no official web site from Bujinkan Japan. The practice of sparring or randori is up to each instructor, you can choose to do it, or not. In my dojo we are doing it every class, but to be honest the people that do this kind of practice are not many. Thanks for the video, and for bringing up a problem that is obvious, with time this may help us have more and more dojo practicing in a realistic way.

[@inside_fighting]

Thank you for the kind comment and response to the video 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 glad you watched it

[@johngate4715]

The thing a lot of people get wrong about ninjutsu is the fact that, its not just one style, it is more of a system of different things put into one. Ninjas were real, but the reality of them is/was not at all what people know about them today.

[@catocall7323]

Ninjas were real but they were more like CIA operatives than these mystical Japanese Shaolin monkalikes

[@Dan-gs3kg]

@@catocall7323 looking at the other comments that is not the case, it's a specialisation as a samurai with additional training in combat jiujitsu, black ops, and different combat methodology.

[@justinholloway5210]

@@Dan-gs3kg Ninja were hired spies. They often would be Samurai. It was a job. Samurai is a social class.

[@owenspence1904]

You forgot familiarity with pyrokinetics, psychology, medicine.,poisos, disguise, cartography, and orienteering.

[@owenspence1904]

@@catocall7323 No

[@chrisoliver3779]

Not angry about it honestly. You're 100% right regarding the sparring. I've done Ninjutsu for over 20 years and have cross trained in boxing, Muay Thai, and BJJ so that I could spar and work on resisting partners, timing, strategy and tactics. I was also a bouncer for 8 years and have had to use my training. What I'm about to say is often used as an excuse to not spar within Ninjutsu and I hate it, but there's truth to it: The techniques are not designed to work halfway in that the joint "locks" are actually intended to mechanically destroy a wrist, elbow, knee, etc. and as a result can't safely be done in sparring. Not to say you can't snap a person's joint in BJJ, but the emphasis on positional control and isolation of a joint allows a lock to be slowly and controllably applied until the person can tap. Techniques in Ninjutsu have to be modified 100% for the safety of the students, and when it happens, guess what it becomes? Some form of boxing, Muay Thai, or Judo, all of which are highly effective (I excluded BJJ bc there are a handful of newaza techniques in Ninjutsu but nothing to the level of BJJ). At that point, go do MMA if you're just interested in learning how to fight. But many use it as an excuse to not spar and believe they are martial arts gods. All that being said, there is a lot of worth to the art of it, which is why I've done it for 20 years. But many advertise it as effective self-defense when it's not taught or practiced in that way, and is dishonest.

[@inside_fighting]

Your input is great and thank you for not taking offense. Been watching some good ninja stuff since making this

[@Polentaccio]

Nicely put, we have similar views and time in and I would say you are bang on. You end up fighting as you train. BJJ is fantastic but once you get side control and start cranking fingers, driving elbows in the face and neck or sternum ( catch wrestling style) or even grabbing skin on the inside leg, lots of things change. If you modify it for sparring, it does change. Where the art can improve though, is through resistance and pressure drills. Working reaction. That many places do not do unfortunately.

[@chrisoliver3779]

@@Polentaccio Drilling is key in my opinion to have reliable responses under pressure. I also believe the value of sparring comes from having to make decisions on when to apply a given technique, and developing strategies for applying things against someone who is actively resisting. The kata have a lot of good concepts and strategies built into them, but using those in real-time is not easy.

[@bennyguardian3225]

Chris Oliver. I have worked as well as a bouncer, security, bodyguarding for 25 years. Sincerelely fought thousend times. No loss here! I have trained karate, krav maga, boxing, wrestling, kun fu, jeet kune do. Its all about what you want to win or why. Ninjutsu trainer which had 4 degree black belt and we sparred 2 hours. He lost every time. Ninjutsu doesnt work!

[@chrisoliver3779]

@@bennyguardian3225 I've met people with a higher rank that had a very poor skill level, so your experience isn't surprising to me, especially considering your background and experience. My experiences have been different regarding it working in real situations. But I agree that it's an overall problem that the majority of people practicing Ninjutsu are claiming effectiveness in self-defense, but have no actual experience in a fight, and don't use training methodologies to realistically prepare for a fight.

[@Shadowrulzalways]

Any martial art can work. It depends on how you train (both live and full contact) and how experienced you are in actual fighting (by actual I mean on the streets and in combat).

[@inside_fighting]

Absolutely agree

[@thenonsens]

True.. adapt what should be use on situation..

[@carlospedrogoncalves5833]

Ninjutsu is not a martial art, as we today understand the term martial art. No Japanese historical classic on ninjutsu (Bansenshukai, Shoninki...) contains any kind of fight move, ninjutsu is not taijutsu, kenjutsu and so on. The term ninjutsu or art of the ninja is a set of espionage and hybrid warfare knowledge and skills along with unorthodox strategies and tactics that were practiced in Ancient Japan by Japanese spies who were also hybrid warfare experts. The martial arts that ninja learned were the martial arts practiced by the warring class of Japan, including kenjutsu and even taijutsu, but these are other arts. Different arts comprised of the full skillset of a warrior. One of the ninjutsu techniques for instance is how to build undercover spy networks. The question: does it suck? Well, it is actually a question on whether ninja were effective as spies, the answer is yes, at the time and place where they operated. A 21st Century ninja is an intelligence operative also involved in PsyOps, cyberops, subversive maneuvers and so on.

[@signor_zuzzu]

Lol, we basically posted the same comment at the same time. 👍🏻

[@carlospedrogoncalves5833]

@@signor_zuzzu So we did! Cool!

[@basilistsakalos9643]

I would mostly agree. Yet, Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto ryu includes actual shinobi no jutsu material.

[@carlospedrogoncalves5833]

@@basilistsakalos9643 Thanks. Indeed, Bujutsu schools included strategy and tactics (heiho) and shinobi no jutsu is a part of that field of knowledge, shinobi no jutsu was the art of the Japanese intelligence operative (the shinobi), the jutsu here does not correspond to a martial art in the modern sense. Shinobi training is an additional set of skills beyond that of the foundational bujutsu material. The shinobi needed to learn how to handle fire tools, how to infiltrate a castle, how to use "spy tools", how to build undercover spy networks, how to use disguises, conversation techniques for information gathering..., this was all part of the shinobi no jutsu curriculum, an additional "jutsu" which was included in the warrior's curriculum. The misconception is to confuse taijutsu, kenjutsu, bojutsu and so on with shinobi no jutsu. Interestingly, a part of shinobi no jutsu applies today to modern hybrid warfare and intelligence warfare, including the cyber domain.

[@basilistsakalos9643]

@@carlospedrogoncalves5833 Hello, I am glad to find someone who understands the concept. I agree with what you wrote 100%. Furthermore, the unarmed use of the human body is described under the term "taijutsu" (literally meaning "body skill/method"). Its core principle is the integrated and coordinated use of the whole body with any object/weapon as one unity. Unarmed use derives from weapon use and not vice versa. According to Dr. Zoughari 's research taijutsu derived from 3 main sogo bujutsu currents, Katori/Kashima, Kage, Nen ryuha. These 3 currents apply the core principles differently creating variations in styles.

[@vule5617]

Ninjitsu was an ancient art for espionage, reconnaissance, and assassination missions with weapons.. not for mordern unarmed combat... different intentions and times..

[@sexmusichandle]

Not really for assasinations but yea

[@MarcosAG90]

Not really. The ninjas were originally people from clans who arrive to Japan from China after the Japanese society was already distinct, and they were basically non conforming and not playing by the Shogun's rules. They were humble farmers who fought with what they had at hand, but they were cunning AF. They hid on unexpected spots, they used poison, they pretended to be someone else... They just didn't play by the rules of Bushido, which was a very strict honor code. That way they've earned a reputation, but they weren't really an ancient version of the Navy Seals. At least not originally.

[@peartree8338]

Ah the chinese generals myth. Yeah that one exists. Like we all haven't gone through a Eric Lustbader/Sho Kosugi/Anime phase? Only to realize that there ain't no historical evidence for what you just blurted out. But you do you. 100%

[@MarcosAG90]

@@peartree8338 not Chinese generals. Farmers. What I have exposed is the history of the clans of Koga as narrated by the Bujinkan. But you do you 100%.

[@awarehedgehog8841]

@@MarcosAG90 Ninja is just a name for a spy in feudal Japan. There were no clans from China.

[@davidmccoy1378]

Ninjutsu is not about being in a ring or trying to prove oneself in front of an audience (it's not a sport). The Bujinkan (Masaaki Hatsumi's art) is based on 9 schools: 6 are samurai and 3 are considered ninjutsu. Many of the samurai movements are based on ideas that come from defending oneself while wearing armor. When you train with these movements you form a connection between the mind and body. The ninjutsu side adds stealth. Quality Bujinkan dojos teach self defense, ethics, protection of others, and violence avoidance.

[@outofthebox7]

1) A "ninja star" would not kill anyone, unless it hits a main artery somewhere or it tears through your clothes and then your chest muscles (and passes through your ribs) and hits your heart. Not likely. His best bet would be to mess up your face or blind you. If you miss the first time and the attacker sees you, he will be moving around and using his arms to protect himself, that is, if he's not yet at arm's length to pound you. Point is, that even stars were blown out of proportion is the movies. 2) While I agree, why would you care about doing ninjitsu or any other art and be "effective for combat sports" (13:02)?? Those are two different things. Unless you mean something else. A martial art is to have a very different approach to fighting, than any combat sport; it's for self-defense, and even though you can use a combat sport in a self defense situation, the mentality is still different, it should be anyway.

[@alittlepuertoricanboy1993]

You're someone who has almost no experience in a "combat sport", I can already tell.

[@outofthebox7]

@@alittlepuertoricanboy1993 If you say so no problem; I appreciate children's imagination, it's part of maturing... Keep it up. Oh and by the way being who you are kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqimppafftiliJY

[@NH1973]

Regarding the stars:The length of the blade is precise. Only by passing through the gate of the eye, can it reach the brain and kill

[@outofthebox7]

@@NH1973 Nop. There is bone in the eye sockets, it protects the eyes and brain. Your eyes connect to the brain by nerves passing through small holes. A bullet can penetrate that bone, not a star. A star can just get stuck on it like it would on a dart board.

[@TaliNonna]

I love training in Ninjitsu as a style. What you put in like any other style is what your gonna get out of it. My instructor in Ireland always made the style fit to modern day society as we in the school at the time all had street fights growing up. Make the style realistic to modern day society and you'll be right. There's a style for everyone its up to you on how you put your effort into it.

[@adcyuumi]

The main issue with ACTUAL Ninjitsu is that it basically doesn't exist anymore, except as a word. Only one person in Japan knows it, and he trained no students because he wants the art to vanish from the world - he has been noted as saying (paraphrasing here) that the art of murder has no place in the world anymore. He won't show people much about the art, nor does he talk about it very freely. And I don't blame him. But let's talk Ninjitsu for a second. Not movies. Not cosplay. No hype. The spinning backfist, one of MMA's flashiest and most effective KO moves, is straight up a Ninjitsu move. Ninjitsu uses Jujitsu as part of its arsenal, and Jujitsu has a solid reputation as a legitimate martial art. Ninjitsu was a subterfuge art - get in and out of places, disguise yourself well, kill someone WITHOUT a fight. It used martial arts to assist in some of those goals, but it was never meant to be a "fight me 1v1 bro" martial art where you announce you want to fight and wait for the other person so do some light stretching. It was a killing art, not a fighting art. And it was, historically speaking, frighteningly effective at that. So much so that samurai in Japan regularly slept with their weapons IN THE BED WITH THEM - just in case. I have zero interest in looking at some new martial system that has "Ninjitsu" tagged onto it for hype. Are some of those systems going to be strong? Yes, of course. Some good, some bad - just like anything else. But it's not actually Ninjitsu. It has no business calling itself that. And it's meaningless to judge actual Ninjitsu by looking at it. Ninjitsu is all technique. You don't use your strength, your speed, or any other physical advantage over the target. You use proper body mechanics, the right tools (weapons), and the right timing so that the target is dealt with before they even realize you've done anything. It's a collection of tactics and carefully practiced strikes, not a fighting art.

[@superdruid999]

Ive trained 15 years in ninjutsu and sadly i have to agree that the vast majority is bottom tier. Mainly because of the idolisation of hatsumi masaki. Even now that hes to old to teach people still want to learn from him.

[@michaelgallagher6912]

Bujinkan is martial arts Theory. You train it the way you would train an instrument. But if you play an instrument and all you ever do is the exercises you're not really creating music. Basically Ninjutsu gives you all the information about fighting but it's up to you to train it for efficiency. The reason I say this is because people will say it doesn't work yet the majority of the techniques are shared with various other Arts like wrist locks arm locks throws but they're Training Method is missing something. If you train in Ninjutsu but you also do practice sparring like a lot of the schools really do it works. The reason they don't do sparring is because of the injuries because when you hear the stories of how they trained in the 70s and 80s they said the master beat the hell out of them. They said they softened it up so that they could sell it to the masses instead of keeping small groups but all the information is there you just have to train it on your own for combat

[@inside_fighting]

Great comment and breakdown. Really well explained

[@laperrablanca1]

Very nice and right. The Israeli school is Yossi Sheriff school, and I happen to have a working companion that used to train there. In deed, the approach is very practical, with a lot of realistic sparring combined with a very demanding fitness training. Once we were speaking of self defense approach, and I asked him what they do to defend against a lapel grab; he very simply punched my throat... so a very practical and no nonsense approach. I also have a friend with a high degree at Hatsumi organization- Bujinkan - and indeed, there is much more emphasis on more traditional and even esoteric aspects

[@fennec812]

I did my masters in Japanese history while living (and training martial arts) in Japan. I won’t go into super detail and bore everyone, but the long and short of it is Hatsumi Masaki’s claims are extremely dubious and-at least in the polite society of Japanese culture it’s behind closed doors-he is considered a LARPer even there. It wasn’t exactly my area of study, but the historicity of “ninjas” as is popularly imagined is really just that: imagined. While there were absolutely assassins, informants, etc. the historical ninjas were probably closer to Viet Cong guerilla fighters. As far as I know, there really isn’t any historical proof of a truly systematized martial art tradition there, either. What was probably being passed down was oral knowledge on how to stay hidden, how to attack soft targets, how to scout, etc. Although these are loosely “ninja” skills, they aren’t anything special in terms of solid hit and run tactics; things the people that the “ninja” traditions grew out would have honed well from years of warfare, rebellion, and separatism. I suspect a lot of the mysticism probably came from the feeling of terror that normal armies felt facing these guys. Especially in the far more superstitious past, in a place where this form of warfare had never been so well-refined, it probably DID feel as if ghosts were setting buildings ablaze and killing officers without ever being seen. It wouldn’t be until later that modern marketing would stumble onto the time-tested imagery of what makes ninjas today what they are-the masks, the black, the weapons, etc. So, in short, “ninjitsu” is not a martial art. It’s something closer to an urban legend that sprung up to describe guerilla warfare. You could never go to a dojo a “train” it. That would be like going to your local gym today and hoping to be taught how to camouflage yourself and make Molotov cocktails. While there probably was some kind of oral tradition-maybe even one that was kept relatively secret given the people fighting didn’t want to leak their novel strategies-it wasn’t really a “martial art.” Anywhere claiming otherwise, even if their martial prowess is respectable, just doesn’t understand the history (and have an irritating tendency to claim they have access to “the real secret history”). I should note here, though, that most old-school Japanese martial arts systems aren’t strictly martial arts systems, though. A lot of old manuals have things like religious rituals, how to siege a castle, how to save money, how to find a good boss, and so on. I suspect even some flashier techniques were included to entertain a paying audience as these dudes often doubled as entertainers and bonesetters. In other words, a lot of these old systems taught martial arts, but the goal was clearly to pass on a tradition that involves making a living and not dying. It’s rarely as clean cut as a set of systematized techniques and I think that flies way over people’s heads much of the time. Well, it turned into an essay anyway. Sorry, folks.

[@inside_fighting]

Was actually an awesome post🤔. I learned a lot. I had heard before that ninjutsu wasn’t real in the way we know it but i suppose most of us still want to believe in ninjas 😂

[@fennec812]

@@inside_fighting It’s undeniably a stroke of marketing genius; something I’ve kind of argued is a martial arts “soft skill.” You don’t have a sustainable martial art if it’s just you in a garage, after all. I kind of think a lot of the “mystical stories” that Japanese MA have as their foundational myths are probably one part philosophical underpinnings of the system and two parts branding. Same thing with the whole “tHiS cAmE fRoM thE bAttLefieLD” stuff; it’s a neat piece of romanticism to peddle to would-be customers that your art has killed people. The idea that Japanese martial arts necessarily came from the battlefield has been pretty soundly debunked in a piece called “Off the Warpath” by Karl Friday if you’re interested in that kind of thing. I had a fellow grad student with me who went on to be a PhD candidate who did a lot of stuff on early sumo; he seems to think Japanese stuff was always loosely sport and I think he’s probably right. Loosely because duels were more blood sport than truly recreation, but stuff like sumo had sponsorships, tournaments, etc. from the very beginning. I get why people would want to believe this stuff, though. It’s definitely a neat bit of historical fiction and I think we all like that from time to time. Although-and I’m admittedly hugely biased here-I think the truth is cooler than the fiction. There are also legitimate martial arts mysteries that I think are worth more attention and research but that’s just imho.

[@williamkrevey1098]

Well said.

[@alexandrebarbosa4933]

The best point of view of ninjustu I have ever seen👌👍thank you for sharing

[@LIVEvil789]

I'm glad somebody else beat me to the punch and wrote the essay. It was going to be either you or me.😅

[@livewithaffection6905]

The great thing about ninjutsu is that it does teach skill with the body in that sometimes ninjutsu saves you without you knowing it. Eg. I was trying my younger brother’s kid scooter and I hit a rock and proceeded headfirst to the pavement and magically did a ninja roll and was not hurt at all. I didn’t think it through either, it just happened.

[@mine2394]

Truth! See true ninjitsu was basically about survival and avoiding conflict.

[@BB-Da-King]

I started training in Bujinkan about 20 years ago I have to agree about the videos I see available online. Even though they resemble the training styles I see a lot of very critical almost sloppiness to them . I will give you some experience. About a year ago I got attacked from behind by someone who was known in the area as someone who has hurt a lot of people, street brawler . The incident lasted less than a minute , I got out of his grab , he took one swing I and I ended up hurting the guy pretty bad, broke his hand, dislocated his shoulder and almost broke his neck when I put him in a guillotine. I can say it seemed to worked for me. As for that guy, I think he is on disability now from his inability to use his arm. Honesty untell that moment I never knew for myself whether all that training was worth it and to sit here and tell I didn't have to think about what to do , it all just fell into place and afterwards I was grinning from ear to ear , felt good. Thank you for your honest review. And like you said ninjas are some the nicest people so don't think any are coming after you.

[@signor_zuzzu]

Real talk. Ninjutsu was ma up in Japan last century and it became popular in the west around the 80s. I have nothing against it, if people know what they're doing: enjoying the fantasy, training in a mc dojo, cosplaying, It's all cool until people are getting scammed. Because losing your money is already bad but losing your health and the time of your life is as worst as it can get. Speaking of historical Ninjutsu ( shinobi no jutsu ) it's obviously a great martial arts, it comes from a period of medieval war of course it's effective. But here another point needs to be made: a lot of people misinterpret the word martial arts, it's not just hand to hand combat. In ninjutsu there is very little about fighting, the ninja was a job about espionage, sabotage, scouting and how to counter your enemies in doing those. The art itself actually teaches you a mind set on how to avoid fights and danger in general, which is step zero of self defense. The whole argument itself is really long, complex and esoteric so I hope mine explanation was of use. Feel free to ask me more information if you need.

[@inside_fighting]

I think your comment was a great addition 🙏🏼 for sure there was some real espionage and poisoning etc that was real back in the day

[@signor_zuzzu]

@@inside_fighting you probably won't get a lot of records of it but espionage is omnipresent in history. After all is literally the art of war. As far as poisoning and assassination in general there isn't much in ninjutsu about it. Killing a man is easy getting to that part is not, that's why infiltration techniques were invented. Ancient texts literally say: if you are alone with the target and could get away with killing it just do it.

[@Polentaccio]

20+ years in the Bujinkan and I am not at all offended by your video. In fact, I agree with a lot of it! I never tell anyone I teach or practice " ninjutsu". I always call it taijutsu. The ninjutsu aspect as I see it now is not backflips, mind control, or parlour tricks... it is awareness. Most martial arts should have this but tend to forget about it. Who has wrestler's ears in the room, who is the most aggressive guy, what structures are between you and the door etc, who is piecing you up. What is nearby that you can grab and use to bash a guy's skull in or jam in his throat? What information can you get out of a person by being friendly or pretending to be closer to what they want? ( basic manipulation- common sense) That would be the application and it is similar to anything you might learn in a street survival system or other. As for Hatsumi himself, I worry less about the lineage and more about the substance. There is no doubt that he was extremely capable in his own time before the purple hair and godlike status. He had a background in judo/karate as well so the contact element was not lost on him. I agree that the hero worship in the Bujinkan is crazy these days at all levels but I've never been like that and have had students with various backgrounds challenge me with resistance on the spot or try to turn a position on the ground suddenly into a grappling match. The art is only as good as how you train it and the experience of the practitioner before they came to it. I had a judo and japanese jujutsu background so had done randori and sparred. I had been in fights before so knew what it felt like to be hit. I felt the ground game was lacking so supplemented with catch wrestling and judo newaza. The basics and principles of the art are good, but they need to be applied to the current day. A lot of the long drawn out postures that you refer to are there because it was a system rooted in weaponry and armor. You can shorten those postures as need be but people are hyper focused on tradition and cosplay and they seem to ignore that. I am very vocal on the training methods I see in the Bujinkan and agree that the Israeli's have done a great job of functionalizing it. However in doing so, they have also lost a lot of the core principles and are now doing something different. What is funny is that the ninja cosplay never appealed to me. One word of advice for anyone who wants to study in the Bujinkan.. don't make it your first art. Do something else first. Box or wrestle. If you come to it first, you will end up larping. If you come to it with a fighter's perspective, you will be able to benefit more from it. Anyway I have really enjoyed the videos on this channel and they always seem to come with a balanced perspective that I appreciate. End of the day, it is you alone squaring off against one or more people. It is your responsibility to be ready for it.

[@inside_fighting]

I agree with what you said about most martial arts ignoring actual self defense aspects like situational awareness. In fact I was going to make a vide on it. If ninjutsu has that then thats very good to know.

[@Polentaccio]

@@inside_fighting Depends on the teacher of course. The biggest problem of all in the Bujinkan is lack of consistency between teachers and schools. There is no real "standard". That's the beauty of BJJ. A black belt more or less means a certain level of consistent proficiency between practitioners. We don't have that. (sadly)

[@basilistsakalos9643]

I agree to most of your points.

[@ThreeFortyThree]

@@inside_fighting Been training off-and-on over the past 18 years. I've trained with exceptional teachers and horrible ones. Like Karate schools, Bujinkan schools really depend on the instructor and there's absolutely no quality control going on there. For all the touting of being an organization, it's incredibly disorganized. For anyone willing to try it, if the instructor talks down about other martial arts, just leave. Those are almost always the McDojo instructors. I really wish there was a crackdown on bogus schools and charlatan instructors. Sadly, I expect that will happen around the same time Tai Kwon Do schools stop putting up "Karate" signs on their buildings.

[@yuliyacalleja8031]

Great response and honesty. Before starting bujinkan it would be beneficial to do mma or other contact sports to get the feeling of reality. As for bujinkan it's not a style but it's based on concepts and philosophy of ninjutsu way of life. The style its self is based on weapons, armour and classical japanese unarmed techniques.

[@adam28171]

I’ve watched a few of these Israeli ninjitsu videos and they do seem to have a more practical edge to them, but I don’t think the art has progressed like it should of and is now what Morris Dancing is to the modern dance world, prehistoric recreation. From what I’ve researched Hatsumi lineage isn’t really ninjitsu and their is another “Last Ninja” also teaching. No Pressure, No Power = Playing at an art. Unfortunately 99.9% of martial arts have now lost their battlefield efficacy!! Yes you can still do damage to another human being but they are NOT like they were or should be.

[@rcarfang2]

TLDR: Jujitsu, Wrestling, Other Grappling arts were used in Ancient warfare other over hand to hand arts. In Ancient and Medieval times, battlefields used pole arms, lances, spears, axes, shields, archery, and other weapons. The hand to combat used in warfare were grappling arts such as Wrestling and Jujitsu Hand to hand fighting was used if the warrior was disarmed. Punches and Kicks would not have been useful in fighting an armored opponent with sharp weapons. Throwing an opponent or using grabs to steal the opponent's weapon would have been more useful.

[@adam28171]

H2H will always be last resort. But karate, jujitsu, AikiJutsu and other arts were still part of the training. Some kung fu style were duelling arts other were self defence like the Haka arts. Same can be found in FMA and probably every martial art around the world. Unfortunately the real deal material has almost become extinct and died with the old masters.

[@ranlevari]

Thanks for the compliments sir, I'm one of the crazy Israelis :) I am an instructor in the AKBAN academy and represent the school in Germany.

[@inside_fighting]

Super awesome. You guys have my respect 🙏🏼

[@Azerod]

Great video. In my experience in Martial Arts, schools break up and either favor the Martial or the Art. I trained Aiki-Jujitsu / Aikido, heavy pressure testing hard core on the Martial aspect. I moved and found a school to get my black belt. It was the easiest test I ever had, the Uke would fly with barely a touch, and no atemi (strikes).. that was an eye opener. I see Ninjitsu as an art, more heavy on the art than the martial aspect in most cases.

[@NMIBUBBLE]

It's a martial art, just like the old samurai used back in the day, if you look the history up of Ninjutsu you'll read about how it was developed, very interesting stuff. I think it depends on the instructor too, if you find a good instructor that's been around and study other martial arts you will notice it, plus they are very humble while training/teaching too. I've been in MA a long time still learning too, I've done aikido, kickboxing as a 90's teen, TKD, Kali, krav maga, BJJ and MMA with the Gracies as a young adult. While training with the Gracies there was this guy that had the MMA championship belt from the arena in SC. at the time he was a blue belt bjj and a black belt ninjutsu, even looked like the guy from Disturbed! He was truly a beast, one day in training after six months i finally got ahold of him with a rear naked and I sunk that shit in, as he was rolling over it looked like he was gonna to turn blue in the face so I was getting worried about the dude, I released him just a little bit and notice he was looking in the direction of the clock and i asked if he was okay and what he was doing to make sure. He replied the rear naked choke you sunk in on me was really good, I was just looking at the clock to see how many seconds left we had so I could survive the round. I laughed then sunk the rear naked choke in again, I called him SOB then then the time rang out. Then I let him go and jokingly acted like I was kicking him away from me. I was like James you turd! Slap, bump fist and he said that was the best rear naked choke had in a while. LOL Thanks James for the memories dude! After that rolling with people wasn't about going all out using force it was just being in the moment and using the least resistance while doing so, then giving a slight tap and keep going while with the training partner at the time. Then other techniques started to fall into place even evading a technique while setting up another one to either the same body part i was wanting to get or another one. Our group was a great bunch of guys and some girls rolling around on the mat, Thanks JW! Kid Rocks while ya Roll! slap tap or nap! So what ever martial art you in for awhile you get to a point were it's not about force but how much you break a technique down into small portions to understand that information you were taught and how much you understand what your doing, so in that point if you understand the technique and can teach someone else properly you'll begin to realize the technique itself. Which you can apply it to lets say different body parts. just like Eddie Bravo did to BJJ, instead of using the same technique to one body part he applied it to other body parts modifying how he used his own body parts to apply the technique. That's the easiest way I could explain that. LOL But whatever MA you get into just be yourself and humble learn everything you can and when you get bored either keep going to get your black belt and beyond if you want too, Enjoy the journey that's what it is all about. Have fun be kind to everyone you meet!

[@lycanthropegaming3432]

Historical Ninjutsu isn't a martial art. It never was. Anybody who claims they train ninjutsu is a liar.

[@Floppy-1235]

I learned things from ninjitsu which made me a good solider. Also, I trained with Jack Hoban. He was a marine. Also, I know techniques to counter Jujitsu. But those are more military based. As for ninja outfits, never wore one but they are so cool in the movies. This was a good video.

[@Qwufi]

I used to train ninjutsu and am offended. Just kidding I can agree all you have said. I didnt like putting masters on pedestal, also more than one guy from the dojo got beaten on the street.

[@MorteWulfe]

I just play Tenchu a lot, combined with my old martial arts training I figure I am a qualified ninja now.

[@inside_fighting]

You are definitely a full on ninja

[@hotpopcorncake]

I love Tenchu the game, I would play that game while listening to Depeche mode just to get more kills. So, I can grand master rank in that game

[@Wes777goldmbr777]

While I loved your video and your analogies, I had the opposite experience with bujinkan. Having a background in jiu jitsu, shotokan, and western boxing, then lastly bujinkan. And the most effective, gaining compency quickly, was obviously boxing. But the 2nd best, was bujinkan, wayyyy ahead of jiu justu. I had the total opposite experience to you, and I was going home with black eyes, gouged eyes, blood noses for weeks, until I learned how to move. So literally youd be training, and the instructor would punch you in the back of the head, and if would be your fault ,as you didn't anticipate it. We also had people come from many other schools, which had the first problem of not being able to actually punch somebody. As I had experienced with the others, everybody was training, stopping a few inches shy of the person's face, this was every other student, and I'd experienced it also. So the first thing they do, is untrain that, and train you to actually aim several inches behind someone's head. And if you don't move you get clocked in the head. So while I enjoyed your video Id suggest trying another bujinkan school, as my experience, it's full contact from day 1, bare knuckles, and I literally spent the first 3 weeks or so fighting the urge to not go back, as I was bloody and bruised the entire time. And that changed, and quickly. We even had 1 class, where nobody was punching people in the face properly, so that's all we did ,bare knuckles straight to the face, maybe 50-100 times, until you weren't 'gun shy'. And everyone coming from other martial arts is. The most annoying thing I found with it, but this is the same for nearly all of them, is you have to learn the Japanese for everything you do, which I was really crap at and I kept getting in trouble for not learning the Japanese. I saw things in bujinkan that I haven't seen anywhere else. Similar to the ninja star, but far better. If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. The other big thing, which was explained to me better in ninjutsu was the angle of balance / attack, Bruce Lee writes about it in his books, they treat every attack like that so hit you the most efficient way to knock you off your feet. Even jiu jitsu, they'd always say a small person can beat a big person, but beyond a certain point it doesn't matter if the guys a black belt, the big guy will just grab onto him. Ninjutsu the techniques are so brutal literally nobody could hold onto you. Thats the other thing I can't really understand the fuss about jiu jitsu, as it lacks 85% of the strikes needed for any real fight, ninjutsu has all the strikes of kick boxing / karate plus your using everythjng as a weapon, ie a playing card, etc. And has all the grappling of jiu jutsu anyways. MMA, isnt a real street fight, it has a lot of rules, as does BJJ, ninjutsu is the art of fighting dirty.

[@pwash474]

Shinobi-iri is a way of thinking. Dogmatic fighters fight to support their traditions. The Shinobi fight to win!

[@markmessi9020]

Bro I'm an American kickboxer (Boxing with fun kicks) turned MMA practitioner but I gotta say even if 98% of that school was absolute BS, i'll stop training all my arts for two months just to learn how to pinpoint accurately throw a ninja star. That sounds so dope to have on my story

[@mysty0]

Ninjitsu is steaped in Mysticism, and the confusion around the quest What is a Ninja is because there are multiple definitions of a Ninja. When you think about a Ninja think in terms of other Ethnic Groups helps, like if you were to compare them to the Hashashins for example which today in English we say Assassins. The Hashashins would get doped out of their damn brains and perform elite Assassinations where Survival was not guaranteed and infact very slim chance. Now there were whole Tribes who devoted their lives to the Mantra but anybody could become an Hashashin just by dressing in black, masking their face and doping themselves out of their brains so they were ready to die when the time came. In this regard Ninjas were the same, whole Tribes existed who dedicated their lives to the mantra and lived on the mushy's or whatever else devoted to the dark arts we Europeans would call witchcraft. So what exactly is Ninjitsu? Well its not exactly a Martial Art in the strictest sense of the word, because many so called Ninja were trained in a multitude of different Martial Arts. Ninjitsu is not the Art of Combat but rather the Art of Stealth, of Espionage, of Assassination and Political Discord.. what Fighting Form you use is completely up to you. Think of it like Bushcraft or Survivalist Tactics, it would be silly to argue what Rifle a true Survivalist uses.. the rifle is irrelevant, it is merely a tool in your Bushcraft Survival. Likewise when speaking about modern day Assassins, we would sound foolish arguing that an Assassin is by definition a Sniper.. right? Because an Assassin can use a whole host of methods to eliminate a target.. the method he uses is not relevant, the stealth and covert operations are.. and thats what Ninjitsu truly is

[@JohnLaity2]

I trained in Bujinkan for many years starting in the early the 1980s. In the beginning we trained (stupidly and dangerously) with live blades and chains. I spent several days in Accident and Emergency - a major concussion, thumb cut open to the bone, 2 minor concussions, stitched up face, broken nose, dislocated shoulder and 3 broken ribs. I also trained In Wu Su with a Master from Beijing, with Bob Rose (Kempo Karate)and in judo with an Olympic coach. Martial arts led to part time work in close protection where I first experienced death ( a fellow instructor was shot dead in a live fire exercise). I retired from martial arts in 2001, took up flying and in 2009 founded a charity project that taught wounded, injured and sick service men and women to fly. My comment - wake up and accept that ALL martial arts are a hobby. MMA type Sparring or no sparring - it is all an illusion of effectiveness….A 12 year old afghan boy can take your legs and arms away with a 30 year old Soviet tank shell and a piece of string….And you will be the lucky one…Nobody should lie to themselves - You are NOT a weapon - the best of the best of the best die and get shipped home in black sacks tied together so they look whole inside a body bag - why there is a coffin at a repatriation. These types of video are delusional. Shout out to all the veterans in the comments. Thankyou for your service.

[@fudomyoomina]

I think the same thing happened in this case as with Shotokan karate - quantity replaced quality. If you look up videos of the first two generations of Hatsumi's students, they are almost all very serious real fighters. Most had experience in other martial arts prior to this and it was immediately apparent - they had truly seen the fullness and depth of the art that Hatsumi had offered them. Hatsumi himself in his younger years also conducted much more serious and difficult training. As a whole system, Bujinkan is very diverse, but it feels a bit messy and takes time for people to get their bearings. In general, again, it all depends on the individual.

[@davidkump4345]

I agree. I remember watching a old black and white movie of what appeared to be Hatsumi and his students doing an all out free form "brawl". I also remember seeing an old clip of Hatsumi and his students demonstrating the famouse Sakki test using a metal sword.

[@reyromero1115]

​@@davidkump4345 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXyvo5V5itecbKsfeature=shared

[@Diablokiller999]

Thought Ninjutsu is hiding and parcour first, fighting second? Some techniques look familiar to traditional JiuJitsu, so I wonder how they can't be effective. And I'm pretty sure there's a Ninjutsu style out there, that still has self defense on its belt...somewhere :)

[@jamiedickson]

The sparring part is something that can be learned on one's own. In a class, you learn the techniques, the ideas, and the feelings. What you do with it is up to you. There are many people out there who see 'ninjutsu' as a joke. Ninjutsu is a way of thinking and living. There are only so many ways a person can be thrown, hit, locked and generally physically abused. There will be crossover in all martial arts. The way we all conduct our combat strategies are different. As for the long stances, they are the transitions. If you know what I mean by that, then you understand a lot. The stances are not prescribed as long.

[@isabel8352]

So glad you’re posting again. Was super interesting to watch !!

[@inside_fighting]

Thanks so much for watching :)

[@tsarbird7746]

Of course, ninjutsu is a new martial art. There were no ninjas either. The Japanese have romanticized the ninja theme and, typical Japanese, turned it into a philosophy, but ninjas as we know them today did not exist. It is a modern mythos. Which does not mean that ninjutsu cannot work. Everyone who is engaged in martial arts knows that martial arts only enhance our own abilities. Which is why there is no such thing as the best martial arts. Nor is a martial art invincible. Martial arts is just an expression of our character. That is why it is important to find the martial art that corresponds to our own character. Do what suits you best and you enjoy it the most, be it muay thai, bjj, karate, judo, mma or just bodybuilding, foodball (I don't want a kick from a soccer player^^) and whatever. This is how we achieve the best results.

[@oculwarrior1706]

Ninjutsu, is one of those styles that requires fundamental understanding of the martial arts system. It's like Jiujitsu, all of that arm-bar stuff and cool throws really does happen, but the truth is it's going to take a lot of work before you finally create and exploit that weakness in your opponent, until then you'll most like be crunching the entire time, sprawling, hip escapes, etc. The same goes for taijutsu.

[@TarzanlikePikle]

For me ninjutsu is the best art martial!!! he kills every martial arts

[@kaguth]

As I kid I got into Martial Arts because of the Ninja Turtles, but as a teenager, I found kickboxing and was told by my instructors that Ninjitsu is basically nonsense. I didn't look much into it much after that until about 3 years ago when I did a bunch of research and found the books of Antony Cummins. It turns out, all of this hand-to-hand stuff that modern movies have associated with Ninjas is not accurate to what they really did. "Shinobi no Mono" as they were actually known were spies first as well as "black ops". If they did know hand-to-hand arts it would have been standard stuff that all Samurai knew, because many of the Shinobi were actually Samurai who specialized in that field.

[@owenspence1904]

@kaguth While I respect your desire to learn about naming jutsu, I wouldn't place much faith in what Anthony Cummins says. He has twice approached Hudson for varying reasons and twice. He has been raped and because of this he decided to. Engage in a smear campaign against Hatsumi Sensei. I do not from a lack of knowledge. I have Antony's "translation" of Fujibayashi's Banseshukai, and I have a copy translated directly from the original. Antony's doesn't match.

[@davecurtis6930]

​@@owenspence1904maybe tattoo boy is friends with Antony?

[@testyourlimits3023]

I'll lay out the truth, there are secrets and lost knowledge. Ninjutau is the only MA i formally trained and I haven't lost a fight in the street, also most people back down and even fought a man with 2 blades while I had a metal stick and a bag, we fought for a total round and he only cut me twice out of more than 40 aggresive swings, I connected most hit I throw but I threw less than half he did, I know when I'm going to miss if I dont go full speed. I got a fractured bone that healed and only 2 minor cuts. I did never fought against machetes or sword before either, the truth is I did not learn it directly from the dojo, the teachings light the path, one develop the sixth sense to know about the body predictive mechanical movement, strategy, play & control. This is to create the warrior with a total out of the square training, so that with open eyes one forms one self.

[@JosephelLeon]

I practiced togakure-ryū for over a year... In MY EXPERIENCE the truly only useful part of it was the conditioning exercises. I had practice several different fighting styles. The truth is there's no other way to test concepts and techniques if is not sparring. Exellent down to earth video. Thanks.

[@ashbirk4681]

Ninja here: I love this video, I actually started my martial arts journey 15 years before starting in Ninjutsu (Bunjinkan) and I’ve read everything Hatsumi wrote (keep in mind he actually has an accredited doctorate and his historical theses are compelling). When training in certain techniques did I stop and say “this won’t work”? So many times But my sensei did several other styles as well (vale tudo, kenpo, escrima, chin na, karate etc) and trained me hard, and fast. We soon weeded out the weaker techniques but they still were valid for conditioning purposes. The exaggerated movements helped to focus on stance, foot work and attention to detail, but obviously would get you smashed in a fight scenario. The cosplay element is kind of interesting as well because Ninjutsu is an art that focuses on concealment. It teaches you how to remain hidden which includes archetypal disguises and ways to hide which have an interesting context and oddly enough helped me immensely in the business world… Go figure? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Lastly when thinking of Ninpoh you have to remember the historical reality (not the mythic context via Hatsumi or Hayes) as portrayed by Anthony Cummings or Jinichi Kawakami. Ninja were not some secret gang of hired assassins they were samurai that trained in SpecOps. The CIA/Navy Seals of feudal Japan if you will. There are other techniques such as eavesdropping, deception and evasion that are just as relevant to a ninja. Actually fighting was a more last resort, which is why they carried such unusual weapons like the Kyuketsu Shogei (long rope with a ring on one end and a knife/sickle thing on the other). This weapon was used primarily to pull a sword away from an enemy and then used as a sort of short range grappling hook for escape. Ninja stars (which in actuality arent very deadly), blinding powder and caltrops were not as much offensive tools as they were just ways to ensure quick escape. Every technique Hatsumi teaches ends with a ‘cover and escape’, meaning the purpose was not to kill but to disable and retreat. These lessons, as well as our obsessive focus on balance in all things, was foundational in helping me grow as a martial artist overall

[@inside_fighting]

Well I’m glad you loved the video because i loved your breakdown 😳 i think you had a great teacher from what it sounds like.

[@ashbirk4681]

@@inside_fighting I did, and that’s ultimately what it’s all about is how good your teacher is. I went and trained at a certain school in Dayton for a day and I had the same experience you did, full on cooperation from your opponent. My sensei would be an asshole and resist everything I did and make me work for every technique. He made me think “if this takedown doesn’t work this way what other techniques can I incorporate to make him compliant?”. I’ve put the word out to the other real ninjas out there and dont worry you won’t be experiencing any blowfish poison darts to the neck any time soon 😜

[@inside_fighting]

@@ashbirk4681 thank you for saving my life 🙏🏼

[@ashbirk4681]

@@inside_fighting Do itashimashite… like you said we ninjas, very nice people, happy feelings all of the time 😉

[@solidsnx]

Just subscribed! I really like your approach, and I agree with most of what you said. I train Ninjutsu with a man who was in the Genbukan under Shoto Tanemura. He was in Japan when they shot a Discovery Channel documentary about it, so that's cool to see. Thankfully, my teacher had us doing a lot of Randori. It's not as hardcore as sparring, but it really helps you develop muscle memory and reaction time. We also trained BJJ separately and had a sparring room that many of us utilized regularly. I feel very fortunate when i watch Bujinkan videos and see even their black belts really... have poor control at times. Anyway, thanks for the video!

[@VenturaIT]

kata builds muscle memory, randori and sparring is where you see if you have learned anything from your kata (it's where you apply kata in different combinations)

[@darkangelpriest]

I whole heartily agree with you, and that's a great way of putting it. "Ninjutsu is the cosplay of martial arts." I started training in a Toshindo Dojo (B-Tier) from 2005 to 2007 then 2010 to 2013. Then I switched to a Bujinkan Dojo (F-Tier) because it was a lot closer and I came to find out my previous teacher was ripping us off. But regardless, both of those schools were McDojos and I didn't realize it at the time. Then in 2019 I got into MMA, Maui Thai, and Brazilian Jujutsu and I actually learned more in the 6 months that I did that than in the combined 11 years of Ninjutsu training! As a matter of fact, a lot of the techniques that I had learned from Ninjutsu weren't even working on the Brazilian Jujutsu guys. Needless to say I was quite upset; but eventually I came to accept how things were. Unfortunately these days, A LOT of American Bujinkan schools are severely watered down and have a severe lack of quality control. So there you have it, great video and again I whole heartily agree with you.

[@gemstonesvideograpghy6672]

Ninjitsu is a battlefield martial and worked on the battlefield. These techniques work and it’s down to the individual to make them work. The problem with sporty martial arts MMA, Thai Boxing and some other styles you have rules. Ninjitsu does not have rules, kick in the groin, stamp on knee cap, punch in the throat etc. As well as throws and locks. If you train with you partner you have to be careful, all to do with footwork. Even Bruce Lee said it. At the end of the day the best scrapper wins whatever your fighting style.

[@mitsosakm]

I sadly agree. I absolutely respect original shinobi from the time of the unification of Japan. They sabotaged the greatest oppresor and the most powerful shogun of that era , Nobunaga. True ninjas were rugged and tough individuals trained in guerilla warfare. Their fighting style probably originated from the Yamabushi fighters. They managed, though greatly outnumbered to spread panic in Nobunagas' son's army, and they were the first to humiliate Nobunaga. After a burst of anger Nobunaga led the assault To the Iga clan and commited genocide. There he slaughtered every man woman and child of and about the Iga province, and ninjitsu was lost forever. True ninjitsu is not a hand to hand combat style but a way to make warfare on much greater threats. I totally and sadly, agree with this video. I have a special place in my heart for ninjas, they were extraordinary people and brave but how they fought is lost in history, as knowledge was past from generation to generation verbally and of course training, to both males and females from a very young age!

[@MTBard]

I trained in Ninjutsu here in Florida to Shodan rank in a school similar to your mid tier example. That is the Quest system, founded by Stephen Hayes. Ninjutsu isn''t actually a martial art (see Antony Cummins' KZbin channel for details), so what they teach in those dojos is something akin to traditional Japanese jujutsu. After leaving the school, I trained in more modern styles that enable me to make better use of what I learned from the "ninjas." Great video!

[@inside_fighting]

I would train at a school like the mid tier one for sure

[@basilistsakalos9643]

I would disagree about Cummins. He is no authority whatsoever, but a wannabe researcher. Don't waist your time there. I agree that when one trains a combat sport you can appreciate taijutsu even further, although it 's not enough, one needs certain key principles to unlock taijutsu.

[@kotohinemura]

@MT Bard . Sir, who was your Quest instructor in Florida?

[@MTBard]

@@kotohinemura I was at Tampa Quest, long before they moved to their current location. If you are interested in To Shin Do, they are one of the best dojos in the Quest system.

[@kotohinemura]

@@MTBard I studied To-Shin Do for a number of years.. I've been lucky enough to train with some of the senior instructors, including Mr and Mrs Russo 😀

[@Till-lc8lb]

Ninjutsu is not a hand to hand combat. It is a military art inclouding spycraft sabotage technics, infiltration technics, information gatering, explosiv and fire using, scouting, gurreilla warfare, black magic and such things. A Shinobi was a Samurai or a Footsoldier at least and it was a Job in a Samurai Army. It exist no historical Source for Bujinkan or for a Ninja Hand to hand combat They fighting art and Weapons are no diffrent from other Samurai

[@anumvella5682]

AKBAN practitioner here (the israeli dudes you mention, heh) ! I quite liked your video (especially the voice-based intro, rofl). I have not practiced with Bujinkan, but i've heard many variations of your story a lot tbh, though i'm sure it does depend on the teacher. The only thing i really came to add, apart from how much fun practicing this school's Ninjutsu is, that even in AKBAN there is a lot of freedom for teachers. So you will find some dojos who absolutely beat the crap out of each other (with love and respect still, as always), but in our dojo we mostly do light contact sparring and are encouraged to use our real strength on sacks, bouncing balls etc. We want our dear partner to be able to come back the next day, don't we? ;) . Ofcourse, i don't think there are any AKBAN dojos who don't sparr at all, it's considered essential to learning the techniques. Also, all that stuff about arm locks not being able to be done during sparring, i don't consider them very true. I've only been practicing 4 years but i've managed to deliver some arm locks and leg locks, in light sparring ofcourse. You go in fast, but you perform slow. If the person hasn't realised they are in a lock, you let them know. Im sure there will be others who know better, or have other ways, but the excuse 'this only works if you want to kill that person' is very rarely actually true (maybe eye gouging? don't know. Who would practice that?). By the way it's not like i represent every single soul on AKBAN, even my teacher might have some objections to what i say. Just wanted to throw in there one student's experience of the school you talked so well of (and thank you! We really are that awesome! :) )

[@basilistsakalos9643]

@Inside Fighting I 've watched more of your content and I really like your channel. I think you are a serious practitioner and researcher of martial arts. I watched this video a second time and I would like to present certain arguments on where I believe your criticism about ninjutsu is invalid. First of all the title of the video is a clickbait. Then you start by presenting bits and pieces from the 80's ninja movies. They are irrelevant with the topic. Then you proceed to connect them with Hatsumi sensei and the Bujinkan organisation by stating that ninjutsu practitioners remain in their childhood's fantasies and never grow old. Well, it might be true for many but again this is something irrelevant with the topic of the actual martial art. At the same time you put a couple of vague videos of Hatsumi sensei himself. Secondly, you present your own unfortunate encounter with a trainer who scoffed at your martial arts experience with various quite serious martial arts. An honest and respectful practitioner would see a person like yourself appearing in his training facility as a treasure, an asset to work with and exchange knowledge. Unfortunately, even without wanting to you spread misinformation and this video definitely doesn't qualify as an experts's opinion. On the other hand, isn't that what ninja thrive on? In my opinion, a more holistic take on ninjutsu provided that we are discussing about more than 800 years old matters, should include koryu, sogo bujutsu martial sciences and their wrestling backbone and their relation to shinobi no jutsu. It should include Mie University, Dr. Kacem Zoughari PhD, and Sean Askew about their actual historical research on the matter in order to give a concrete sense on what is ninjutsu. It should include the cultural nuances of the Japanese way of sitting and moving and how it affects Japanese classical martial arts in relation to the use of weapons and unarmed combat. Possibly there are a lot more...

[@lewisb85]

I remember reading what Enson Inoue wrote about bujinkan (he holds a 4th degree black belt) he talked about how it was good for teaching you the mentality to learn combat, he didn't comment on the technical aspects however.

[@jasononeil3816]

I remember myself and my mate making Ninja masks and attempting to order books and Ninja paraphernalia from 'GIKO' catalogue back in the eighties after being obsessed with Lee Van Cleef in tv series "The Master". We also collected 'Ninja Magazine' with those magnificent painted covers.

[@inside_fighting]

Hahaha man it was good times when the ninja craze was happening

[@quintork4100]

dont let sensei seagull hear you say that!!! he will get on an economy plane to florida,squeeze into a taxi,awkwardly squeeze into a ninja gi,do a very messy kartwheel out of the cab,lie on his side and roll up your drive way ,get up catch his breath knock on your door very quietly and as you open it he attempts a flying scissor kick an break his ankle!you have been warned!

[@inside_fighting]

😂😂😂 he’s coming for me. Did you ever see his reality cop show? It’s the best

[@matzerias]

Wow, I just bumped into your channel and this was the first video I've seen. You immediately got me with the 80s/90s ninja movies and that everybody growing up there wants to be like those shadow dudes. Very sympathic, honest and with that kind of humor I like. Thanks 4 making me smile and many greetings from Germany. 🙂

[@inside_fighting]

Thanks for watching 🙏🏼 very glad you enjoyed it!

[@Mr440c]

The ninjutsu that is discussed in this video is a fake one. The real one isn't even a combat system because ninjas function was never a combat. They were spies, messengers, assassin's and covert operatives. The real successor of traditional ninjutsu is Kawakami Jinichi. This grandpa teaches basically survival skills like how to climb walls or for example how to dislocate your shoulder in order to trick a pedestrian into giving you some money to pay a doctor bill. I personally took a running technique from him to heart. He gives really good info. Also when asked what's his favourite weapon he answered it's gardening scissors because their great for both farming and you can use em to attack someone.

[@SorMaflaria]

it was my childhood dream...grew up in the eighties and after watching American Ninja of Micheal Duddikkof it was all i dreamt about ...even joined a club that claimed to teach it...and end the day listening to ninja by europe

[@inside_fighting]

Duddikkof was the man… he disappeared and never had a chance to get bigger. I feel like Jeff speakmen also suffered that fate

[@M3LAD]

Let me tell you something as a Bujinkan practitioner, you did well not to fall on purpose, a good uke should fall only if he has really been unbalanced and if the technique works. There is no point in falling on purpose, even if it is a simulation. Black Gi is common in several Japanese martial arts, it's not a ninja outfit it's just a black keikoGi. Unfortunately, before we can judge or pass judgment on something we don't know, we should know. And Budo Taijutsu is not something you learn in a week.. It is an infinite and immense martial art. The techniques are very ancient, they work. You have to understand how to move first, and not look at Hatsumi especially where he is very old, only Hatsumi can move that way. He does almost everything from Shizen and he do henka.. So it's stupid to start moving like Hatsumi, you have to start very low, low kamae. Shurikenjutsu, never had a single lesson; Is it part of ninjutsu? Sure, but that's not all... There are many weapons, too many to know them all well. This is why the warrior's path is not only long, it doesn't end and yes we don't practice to get into cages or to kill people, we do it for ourselves. I'm sorry that your experience wasn't positive, I recommend you try again with another sensei.

[@mowipad1618]

@Inside Fighting in Bujinkan, practitioners study some ancient japanese martial arts (koryu) used by Samurais and feudal warriors to kill or survive using any efficient technique with or without weapons, such arts were applied in battlefield. These are not intended to be like combat sports or any competitive way. Nowadays, so much techniques could be obsoletes but their "principles" behind those techniques are truly useful in some many aspects of your daily life, not only combats aspects, like "awareness training". There are so many good teachers in Bujinkan and others organizatios, but has to be chosen carefully. For example sensei Yossi Sheriff, creator of AKBAN organization. In fact he is a 5th dan in Bujinkan, then he started his own system, he has very good teachings and studies different aspects of combat and techniques of different martial arts and how to be applied in actual days, but his training program is based in "Takamatsu Den" ( schools techniques scrolls) from Takamatsu toshitsugu Sensei, Hatsumi's Sensei. So, this is not the art but practitioners and different ways that could be focused their training to achieve efficiency.

[@marcschneider4178]

I think your analysis is very good, because I train Ninjutsu and I always stopped it and trained other martial arts, because I didn't feel I could do Ninjutsu on the street. Meanwhile I am 50 and I still see it that way. Nevertheless, I still train it, because with my 50 I no longer need to pass disco fights and in the morning in the bakery it was so far quiet :O)

[@maxfragozo8100]

I'm a ninja and I really liked this video. Actually I loved your approach and sense of humour, you have a new subscriber. I practice Bujinkan since 2021 and also research a lot of different sources and already knew AKBAN, and the other ramifications derived from Bujinkan. This discipline has taught me a lot about biomechanics, timing in combat and problem solving. Although I'd really question how all these principles would be applied in a real life situation I believe in it's usefulness and that's why I'm devoted to investigating and also getting involved in other martial arts. Good to find a channel that has a warm and funny delivery for its perspectives! Congrats

[@dwightdhansen]

I train Isshin-Ryu karate. I've been told "We don't do that fancy stuff here" at other schools. One I remember in particular was a Hapkido school. Tell me you don't know anything about Isshin-Ryu without telling me you don't know anything about it.

[@inside_fighting]

😂😂😂🤣

[@fontasgeorgopoulos1048]

I like karate a lot. U consider Isshin Ryu effective? Is the type of knuckle U use applicable? Arcenio Advincula sure is fire!

[@yuliyacalleja8031]

I really like how you put this video up. I'm myself a long practitioner of the bujinkan and I completely agree with what mostly you have said. Over the years I have found 1 instructor that has changed my perspective on the bujinkan martial art that needed to be tested not trough sparring but resistance levels, and it made it feel like whatever you learned cant be done. Needed to be fixed trough his guidance. I would tend to disagree with what you say Hatsumi doesnt say no sparring allowed. In fact 1 of his students does sparring all the time in his class. But it's TRUE they dont promote it. Now my training has changed and I do alot more sparring with my muaythai and taekwondo training partner. The timing and distance is always changing and in order to make it work you have to spar. The bujinkan and like other martial arts there nice guys and idiots all over the place. There are a few good teachers and alot horrible once that are a waste of time.

[@inside_fighting]

Thank you for the fair response! I am glad you found a great version of the style and I am sure there are many great instructors out there.

[@SiBebok]

To be fair tho, real ninja doesn't actually open train people. Why... Ninja=assassin, you're suppose to kill people without them knowing in the most unfair fight. 🙂 Example: I saw one interview about a long line ninja, he doesn't teach how to punch, but rather how to walk a certain manner in the cover of night. They do use sickle, because it's the only weapon a farmer has. Kunai is a gardening tool even. So having a dojo to train assassin in hand combat is kinda counter intuitive, compared to training someone how to mix poison and shoot it out of a blowdart. 🤣

[@inside_fighting]

Sure i don’t think that version of ninjutsu exists anymore

[@iiiZokage]

9:49 I started with Ninpodo Ninjutsu at `3 then I trained with this guy at Chapel Hill Quest Center. They have a Jiu-Jutsu dojo as well. After I when to an MMA dojo for a month or so then moved on to boxing to work on my footwork and dodging. I'm trying to learn Jiu-Jutsu now.

[@angelocarantino4803]

I'm trying to make my own martial art for various reasons and the idea of making sure it's "alive" is really fascinating. Definitely something I'll keep in mind as I go along c: great video as always, keep it up!

[@Tyraine7]

check out lyteburly.com/

[@bartangel4867]

Well ninjas were great at what they did at the time they did it. they could fight although their fighting systems was probably not specific form of any kind but rather what worked in a battlefield and their fighting they did was probably lot like Japanese Jiu Jitsu of the old where rules didn't really apply. I saw some of the moves used in old judo Japanese jiu jitsu type fighting ( which would be little bit different than watered down Japanese Jiu Jitsu and judo of today) ninja would probably use the best of those and combine it with strikes. I imagine something like reverse hip throw being used by ninja (of course I could be completely wrong about it I wasn't there) but ninjas job was spying and sabotage behind enemy lines. they primal things and what they were good at was stealth and use of weapons of the era. obviously you would be better of using gun than throwing stars that is not the point. Ninja (or shinobi as they were actually called) were like CIA of the time but frankly it was probably harder to be a ninja because you had to get close enough to the target. yes they had weird magical rituals but some of the things they did really were scientific. like practicing hand gestures that after you practiced them enough allowed you to keep calm doing the actual combat. now no their ways of fighting hand to hand were probably not as advanced as modern MMA fighter's because hand to hand combat was not the most important part of being a ninja. ninja were probably very well trained with weapons of the era, because that and being able to get into enemy camp in and out undetected that was the most important part of being a ninja. Modern ninjas are for the most part not real ninjas especially when it comes to their hand to hand combat systems because that is what we know the least about. and ninja didn't wear the clothing that we associate with ninja today even if it looks real cool, because this would be way to obvious.

[@robcubed9557]

Regarding the gun and "ninja stars", the "ninja stars" can be reused and they're way less noisy than a gun. Also the "ninja stars" are way more compact so they're easier to conceal. For defensive purposes the gun is better, but if someone was a serial killer, the ninja stars would have several advantages.

[@inside_fighting]

If someone was an assassin I would recommend a Ruger Mark 4 suppressed since it's almost silent and shoots 22. Or just poison :)

[@JoelHuncar]

Beautifully said… this is true of some FMA as well… no sparring, no resistance. (Most do spar though, but I know of some grand masters who hate sparring) Also the very rehearsed training, non resistant training… which is absolutely necessary to build skill, as we know… however you must go beyond that. But it looks so cool at high levels that it becomes addictive. (I know. I love that shit). Balance is key. I will check your channel, but I would love to see your opinion on some of the combatives systems that also do not spar, but do some very aggressive training from a mental/emotional trigger.

[@inside_fighting]

Absolutely. Will gladly share my thoughts on that. I love sparring but for reality based self defense it also can sometimes develop bad habits depending on the rules. It’s only part of the equation and often stress training that is situational and causes an adrenal response is more effective for self defense training.

[@alainnunez9722]

Ninjutu is not martial arts 🙄

[@deltrex]

I have a Ju-Jutsu and a bit of MMA and HEMA background and I actually do train Bujincan, but it has sadly recreated something that was common in the old Japan where you don't ask for someones style rather than who is trainer/sensei is. For the school i'm in: We do have sparring and our trainer has a full contact Taekwondo and a stickfighting background. However I do see that the people who train there without prior experience tend to be terrible in sparring, because a lot of the things we train only benefit you when you already know the basics of punching, kicking, and grappling which we don't train enough.

[@rogerwilliams2629]

Life long Judoka here, since 67. I've been enjoying your vids. Subbed.

[@beyondfitnesstv]

Great video, enjoyed it. I had the full Ninja arsenal growing up and still secretly want to go to a “Ninja Camp.”Grew up in 80s what can I say? It was fun being fascinated as a kid. Keep the Vids coming!

[@inside_fighting]

Hahah yes sir… thank you brother

[@crypticnomad]

As a kid, 40 yo american, I wanted nothing more than to be a ninja and that childish drive is probably why I've been obsessed with martial arts in general for 30 years now. I did a bunch of research and my basic conclusion is that ninjutsu was not a "martial art" in the way most people would understand that phrase today but actually was a "martial" "art"(notice the space), if that makes sense haha. "Martial" means "of or relating to war" and "art" in this context means "the various branches of creative activity: painting, music, dance, combat sports". It wasn't a combat system but instead an intelligence system which is just as important, maybe more?, as a combat system when it comes to war. Today most ninjutsu is pure bullshido that is no practical way correlated with the original form. The real modern ninjas work for intelligence agencies like the NSA, CIA, MOSSAD, FSB etc and may not even know a combat system or a extremely basic one unless there is a need for one. I would be willing to bet most are actually "nerd ninjas" 🤣

[@joshuajohnson4396]

I always thought about ninjas being in the all black hooded uniform but I got my feelings hurt when I found out they were alot of plain clothes without big swords, throwing stars and blowguns to fit in like a spy.

[@dynamicdigitalcreations]

Thanks for your honesty and I find this refreshing. Ive been training Bujinkan for 35 years and clearly see where youre coming from. Sadly with multiple trips to train in Japan Ive seen all sorts of levels withion levels of high tier practioners not being effective. In saying this there will be varied levels of quality in instruction and I think on the first Dojo it was a bad apple leaving a bad taste in your mouth. I think this is true of all martial arts where the quality of the instructor will determin if it worth your while.

[@littlerunningwolf]

Back in the late 80s, Soke Hatsumi commented in his writings that there is no real use for ninja in the modern world. Because of that, he was trying to keep the traditions as close to their original form as possible. That's why people wear dress the way they do, and use all the funky weapons. Hatsumi was also an actor by profession for a good chunk of his life. Some members have tried to adapt ninjutsu to modern circumstances, but Hatsumi openly said that he would not do that, to honor the historical traditions.

[@michaelgallagher6912]

My Ninjutsu instructor would teach you techniques you would train the techniques you would learn the techniques and after you learn the technique that he taught you he would say okay now this is how you would really do it

[@joaoguilhermebastos519]

Dude, just chill. Your videos are legit. Shitty narutos won't be able to do you harm and the true shinobi no mono simply don't care. They are always busy. BTW: The fact you dont see many real deal "ninjas" around is because this has no use to them. Most look like very ordinary people like random YT commenters

[@inside_fighting]

😮😮😮😳😳😳 ninjutsu is the best… i take it all back 🥹

[@fuggleeartshow]

Having trained with various instructors and even Hatsumi once, you're criticisms are pretty fair. Sadly there is no real quality control in instructor aptitude in the Bujinkan. The best instructors I trained with were usually former military, if we're talking real world use. The Bujinkan is just a slow learning method. I did glean useful knowledge, but it took a while as compared to say escrima, which I can walk away with usable techniques in an hour. Most Bujinkan is technique demonstration and you need to adapt it and figure out how to make it work on your own.

[@craigcarroll1790]

I trained in a bujinkan school that pressure tested. I found that the stuff was very effective

[@HardHardMaster]

I gotta say 80's martial arts movies really messed up my MA game but also motivated me beyond anything.

[@wrightsrrt871]

You have to understand the history of original ninja and that the training was mostly stealth, flexibility, and flips, bear climbing trees and mostly weapons training cause they where assassins they wear not trying to fight people when ninja was founded they where fighting against the emperor back then and just village people fighting there emperor! So at the end I agree with you that you have to train in something that would be good for hand to hand as well I believe traing in multiple styles is best then take what works for your life style best and adapt it.

[@josephbartz3996]

I've been in Bujinkan for almost 10 years (3. Dan). The problem is, we train in traditional forms. If applied correctly those forms can work. But application requires understanding etc. Here the main issues are simple: 1 many (even high level) instructors don't understand the principle behind the kata. 2. many never look into and at different and practical applications of those kata. 3. too often the level of contact is insufficient for some things to work. Many forms that require side to side movement get reduced too quickly to the last couple of moves to save time, and then don't work because positioning is off. Or with forms wheree a kick is used to stop or slow forward movement the kick is only performed "per forma" and the natural reaction a person has when kicked in the stomach or groin is missing. (obviously the kick's strength should be within reason) And as you mentioned: too much is left up to the individual instructor. There is only one "official" test and in too many schools, no official curriculum or even tests, even though there could be.

[@MarcosAG90]

Interesting, my experience in Bujinkan is radically different. We really did not went down if we didn't feel like the technique was working. Now, I'm a little concerned because doing a technique on a static opponent is really easy, but if you weren't feeling like falling... How do people train out there? For real tho.

[@inside_fighting]

It is really school dependent but anyone who trained like they did at the school i tried would not be capable of defending themselves imo.

[@josephshehan4969]

You do the technique while the person your training with is in motion.?

[@MarcosAG90]

@@josephshehan4969 no we didn't unless we were making them move.

[@MarcosAG90]

@@inside_fighting even making the techniques work, I feel like it wouldn't be enough.

[@robertdindoffer9846]

One key issue is that some techniques cannot be ethically pressure tested. A ninjutsu school could, however, work on evasion, footwork, spacing, etc. with live speed attackers

[@kaljaxa5365]

For what it's worth.... Over the last five decades I've trained in a lot of different martial arts. One of them was Ninjutsu. I even got as far as a Shihan title in it and if there is one thing I can say... you're absolutely correct. This was an excellent quick statement about the truth of Ninjutsu and ultimately the reason I walked away from it in favor or other forms. Well done on the video.

[@inside_fighting]

Thank you 🙏🏼 glad you watched it.

[@michelleruss1]

From what I understand, a Shinobi is a Samurai Warrior learned by a local Lord-style art of combat jujitsu (Hence, mainland island Japan, not Okinawa) who also uses stealth and assassin techniques useful at that time to assassinate someone when ordered to do so. Few different schools of jujutsu in those times, so not all Ninjas used the exact same styles of jujitsu and many died off after the Nedo period and WW2. I'm a Japanese Jujitsu student for 6 yrs now and we use full contact sparring and also participate in tournaments against many different martial arts styles in Florida. Ossu.

[@karlappolis3588]

A ninja has just subscribed..thank you for the balanced opinion about our art

[@JeffreyDuncan-f5j]

I must admit, I was, and still am a fanatic, Ilan. My humble opinion, I believe with this art, it really depends on who teaches it, and what you wanna get out of it. There is a gentleman who has a channel on KZbin, and please forgive me, I don't know his name. The name of the channel is Active Balance. I think he has some good insight from Masaaki Hatsumi.

[@arnbo88]

I studied Ninjutsu for almost a year in 1995 here in Australia. It was very much like you said with Hatsumi name dropping and the tiered system. I learned very little and had less respect for the Sensei's the longer I stayed there. One problem with this type of school was that it was an outlet for insecure teens. Outside of this school I doubt a streetfighter would just sit back and let the ninja perform all these fancy techniques on him. One Sensei spoke of developing a "sixth sense" in which the ninja could anticipate his opponents energy behind him. A bit like "Spider sense". I asked the Sensei if I were to throw a bean bag at the back of his head while he was blindfolded, could he dodge the beanbag. He replied that he could dodge a knife thrown at him because it had more intensity. Translated this means he had no such ability and I could not disprove his claims because I was not about to throw a knife at anyone's head. Bullshido.

[@NCXitlali]

The funny thing is you can already develop this six sense through any sport like baseball or boxing. In my case, growing up in the barrio.

[@gatocles99]

Watch the old videos of Hatsumi doing th black belt "test" of cutting a blindfolded student from behind with a sword. With the students he liked, he would grunt "Ei!" before he cut with the sword... signaling the student to roll out of the way. With the students he did not like... he would silently cut straight down. And they would get hit... because they had no signal to roll out of the way. It is all a scam.

[@rnin1754]

The sixth sense has nothing of mysticism, it is to train your senses to perceive the environment and be alert, that you don't understand that is different.

[@MyTruth1771]

Interestingly, when I trained ninpo in the early 80s to 90s, we trained hard and sparred way harder than later when the art started to be taught softer. We trained very much like the Israelis you mentioned but often harder as I became in my 20s. The way it was practiced changed as it grew wider and spread farther.

[@inside_fighting]

Not uncommon for martial arts to lose their efficacy as they become more popular sadly.

[@Moodo76]

Even though I currently train in the Bujinkan I have to agree with you, some things are pretty ridiculous and to be honest pure larping. The thing is though, I have more than 30 years of experience in other real combat arts and I know how to fight. The ninjutsu part of my life is more to meet friends and stay in shape.

[@sterickoy6951]

My experience (in the England)as a teen was very similar to the Israeli school. We learnt a bit of the weapon stuff for exhibitions but it was hard sparring and was more MMA influenced looking back. My teacher had trained various martial arts to a high level which makes a difference I feel.

[@ninpo9]

I'm UK 23yrs bbd/buj ninjutsu which is jujutsu/weapons & also jujutsu/bjj/jeet kun/kung fu so 30yrs total. I'l do ninjutsu til i die, learn it to survive everything in life not just fighting & it improves your mind/become better in other lifes skills. Have used knots/rope, rolling/breakfalls, stealth etc skills in life to save me/at work etc. Done survival skills, weapons, sparred, broke shoulder/5ribs/kneck vertibre/joints/muscle tears/bad bruises, trained oldskool brutal & modern soft style, used in street affectively & taught military/police/bodyguard/medical/students who used skills learnt affectively in street etc so its affective if you put blood/sweat/time/injuries into it, a complete art, great at multiple attack/weapons use & disarm, spacial awareness, great for apocalyptic survival when other arts will get you killed, can be suited for individuals needs/fields of work/disabilities & can do in old age. Ninjutsu/ninja is a mindset & i see it as a mix of military/spy/survivalist/prepper/mmarts/traditional/modern/plant knowledge, traps, camo, evasion, orienteering skills with Parkor & takes any skills that keeps me alive.

[@The-Underground-Man]

In it's original use Ninjutsu is not a martial art, it's more a war strategy, with martial arts being primary used in combination with weapons like swords. It was invented in times when sword was the most effective way to defeat your opponent in battle. It was used by mercenaries (Ninjas) in wars who were using skills like siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts. So they where probably not much involved in pure fist fights and it's more accurate to say that Ninjustsu is a combination of tactics used in warfare. It's very different from depictions in hollywood movies.

[@MarTin-bk7yt]

You are apsolutly right and I agree with you that Bujinkan has a flaw in its teaching method because there is no sparring (I can say that, I was with them for about 2 years), but you didn't mention that ninjutsu is not just bare-handed combat - self-defense... there's a lot more, a lot of things like stealth, masking, deception, poisons..many different weapons..actually ninjas learn that weapons are pencils, lighters, jackets, scarves, anything from your environment and ways of using them. But I'll also say that I learned a lot with them (and with other traditional skills) which saved my head in tight situations.In one class we learned how to light a fire without a lighter, in the second class we descended from a tall building on a rope, etc...also they learn a complete way of warfare where the brain is the strongest muscle i upravu si da ih se bojiš.

[@cpiper6338]

There are schools that teach martial arts (karate, taekwondo, etc.) that never include sparring in their curriculum (other than 1-, 2-, or 3-step "sparring" where a partner throws a technique and the defender does a prearranged response). If these schools want to teach and train students in a system with the idea that they're preserving an art form, that's fine. But they should never actually claim that they're teaching the student how to be able to defend himself/herself! (And forget that "our techniques are too deadly" BS!) Without 'live' (not prearranged) sparring, students never really understand and develop the concepts of range, timing and focus. And, just as important, they learn how it feels to get hit and conquer the fear of it. (Not of GETTING hit, but the FEAR of getting hit.) You can't learn to fight (or fight back) without ever fighting. You might be a wiz at 'Call of Duty', but if you've never actually fired an M4 (a lot!), you're not going to hit that moving target at 25 yards!

[@inside_fighting]

well said.

[@filipcesnjak2944]

If you are an assasin, or a spy before 20 st Shinobi, Ninja, Kunoichi is great, if you are martial artist in modern days, and if your martail art is not full contact and have no sparing or pressure testing it does not work. P.S. my nickname is "Ninja" :)

[@inside_fighting]

Haha amazing nickname. :) glad you watched.

[@riskybitness]

As a former Ninja myself, I can tell you from experience that it's largely just a bunch of weebs dressing up playing Ninja. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. If they enjoy themselves and they aren't hurting anybody... cool. But I do have an issue with teaching these techniques as legitimate self defense and then only practicing with a compliant partner. Daken Taijutsu is actually pretty dope and probably does have some realistic applications, but unless you are routinely practicing them with a person who is actively trying to hit you, you'll never find them. As for the rest of it, it's just fun. I know I'll never be in a situation where I'll be using aa samurai sword to defend myself. But it was still a lot of fun, I got some exercise and I made some friends. So in the end, it's fine as long as you don't take it too seriously. Edit: I was a member of Genbukan, which is kind of like an offshoot of Bujinkan with Tanemura, who I think was involved wtih Hatsumi at some point. The dojo I went to also had a lot of other stuff too though, they added some ground grappling and some traditional Karate. We did the typicaly tippy-tap point sparring, randori, kata... so it wasn't just the traditional stuff. Before being involved with Genbukan, the head instructor had trained with Felix Vazquez, so there was some of his influence in there too. So the place I went to is probably quite a bit better than your typical Ninjer school, for whatever that's worth.

[@inside_fighting]

I think your outlook is awesome tbh and spot on. Not every martial art has to be an ultimate self defense. Making friends and getting exercise and being happy are all important and awesome aspects of training.